A tree lives in Galveston

Some of my most favorite Christmas gifts this year came from folks who don’t even know me. All are in Galveston:

• On Winnie Street, a Santa Claus-hatted Tin Man

• On Postoffice, a beautiful angel holding a rabbit

• On Ball Street, a striking pair of blue herons, also sporting Santa hats and mufflers.

And there are a lot more — all carved out of trunks from trees killed by Hurricane Ike.

A number of sculptors have taken a unique approach to helping the Island (and all of us devastated by Ike) restore damaged spirits. They’re creating beauty out of dead trees.

The most prolific of these sculptors, Jim Phillips of Clear Lake, credits Donna Liebbert of the Galveston Island Tree Conservancy, who knew of similar post-hurricane artistic triumphs in Mississippi. Donna persuaded the city fathers to allow sculptors to try their hands with some “stumps” at City Hall.

Brenda Beust Smith photo

Jim Phillips’ Tin Man

The resulting dalmation and fire hyrant delighted city firemen, and inspired homeowners to take a second look at dead trees in their own yards. With a little donated funding and some very generous area sculptors, the carvings have officially become a “trend” with some great background stories.

One of Jim’s creations, a sycamore angel, sits behind the Victorian Inn Bed and Breakfast on 17th Street at Post Office. True owner Marcy Hanson was a Playboy bunny, and the Oct. 1978 Playboy Playmate as well as a Playboy cover model. But that’s not why she fell in love with the rabbit held in the angel’s arms. Marcy’s landscape is both a Certified National Backyard Wildlife Habitat and Butterfly Waystation and she’s actively involved in the many animal rescues that took place on the island after Ike. Several bunnies run wide on the site.

Another great story lies behind his “Tin Man” carved from a 90+-year-old live oak tree on Winnie St. Owners Kevin and Lynn Barrett discovered their house was built in 1886 by the grandfather of King Wallis Vidor, co-director of the “Wizard of Oz.” Vidor was born downstairs in this house in 1894. (The City of Vidor was named for King’s father.)

Just down the street from Dayle Lewis’ magnificant blue herons in the 900 block of Ball, Eliz Wilson, owner of Galveston’s Skatehouse Cafe, 2114 27th St. (near the Skate Park), has commissioned another “tree sculptor,” Earl Jones, to do what she thinks will be the largest tree carving of all when completed, a pod of dolphins leaping toward the sky.

Katherine Adams has done a great job of detailing Jim’s work in the current issue of The Islander magazine.

Donna says about 20 sculptures are planned in all.

Thanks, folks. You’ve given me, for one, a wonderful Christmas gift.

UPDATES: For a complete list of more Galveston tree sculptures (there are many others!), log onto: Galveston Island Tree Conservancy. Donations would make a great make-you-feel-good New Year’s gift.

Or, if you know of specific ones not mentioned above, please add them via the comments below. Thanks!

(And … my apologies to Katherine Adams. In an earlier version, I mistakenly referred to her as Elizabeth Adams. Unexplainable senior moment.)

Wow! Why couldnt’ they do this with that huge old tree at UTMB they cut down the other day? I heard they just cut it and took it away.

I had a 450 year old red oak tree in my backyard here near Humble that died, and couldn’t be saved after 2 diagnosis from tree surgeons. The diameter was unreal…probably about 30 feet, with a canopy that covered an entire 1/4 acre. I bought the house because of the tree. So instead of chopping and sending it away or making firewood, which some of it was, I table sawed most of it into boards and sheets. It took about 3 months to cut all of it. I had enough fire red color oak to build a small house. I sold it for cabinets, made furniture and other projects, wall clocks, headboards, chairs, etc., and cut the trunk to 2 feet and used pieces to build a table on top of it in the yard…enough to seat 40 people. I sanded it and polished it and sealed it. The whole neighborhood comes to just see it and sit there and visit. The table top itself is 6 inches thick. It will last for generations.